Many prior art underwater vacuums used for cleaning swimming pools consist of two components designed to be used together, namely, the vacuum head and vacuum hose. Pool vacuum heads tend to have a body element rectangular in shape and have a central hole formed to receive a vacuum hose; the heads are often made of flexible plastic, fitted with wheels (though some use brushes), and have a handle that can be attached to a telescopic pole to enable a user to manipulate the head and vacuum the bottom (underwater surfaces) of a pool while standing above the pool on the pool deck.
A flexible and generally water tight vacuum hose with a cuff mounted on each end is generally used with the vacuum head. The hose cuffs are designed to serve as both male and female attachments; their generally cylindrical shapes have inside dimensions sized to fit snugly over many male vacuum connectors, and their outside dimensions fit snugly within many female connectors. When in use for cleaning a swimming pool, the hose typically connects a source of vacuum to the vacuum head to provide the desired vacuum action as the head moves across the pool's underwater surfaces. Typically, one cuffed hose end is connected to the vacuum head's central hole (using either the male or female connection, based on what fitting is present on the vacuum head), and the other cuffed hose end is connected to suction plumbing (again with either a male or female connection) that is located either in the pool skimmer or a similar plumbing feature. The vacuum force within the hose tends to pull the head into tighter engagement with the hose, but as described herein, that “vacuum/friction fit” connection is less than satisfactory in many situations.
The overall combination of vacuum head, vacuum hose and attached telescopic pole enable a user to maneuver the vacuum head around the pool to remove dirt, leaves and other sorts of debris from the pool. The vacuum pulls the targeted debris under the typically rectangular body element of the vacuum head, through the vacuum head's central hole, through the hose, and then through the suction plumbing (to be filtered or otherwise disposed of, such as by straining it through baskets and/or other filters). This process thus draws the dirt, leaves, etc. out of the pool and removes it from the pool water.
Some problems with swimming pool vacuums and hoses of prior art, however, are associated with the failure of the vacuum head to effectively ‘pick up’ debris such as leaves, twigs, etc. from the pool bottom. In order for vacuum heads to effectively maintain suction suitable for cleaning, the head typically must relatively closely confront the swimming pool's surface that is being cleaned. Among other things, this relatively close proximity ensures that the debris is within the effective scope of the vacuum power. When used as intended, the heads thus have suction around their edges (the edges that are on or adjacent the surface being cleaned), much like a carpet vacuum operates in a home.
Wheeled vacuum heads can involve performance trade-offs. The wheels are often positioned in such a way that the vacuum head sits some quarter inch or so above the surface being cleaned. Although this permits small debris to easily be drawn under the vacuum head's housing, it is not uncommon for the vacuum head to be so low (or so close to the surface being cleaned) that the head passes under large debris such as leaves or twigs, failing to remove them from the pool. In some instances, such large debris is even pushed away or otherwise moved by the vacuum head (without being sucked into the vacuum), resulting in a further failure to effectively clean the swimming pool or water feature.
Another common problem with prior art systems occurs with the connection between the vacuum head and hose. As indicated above, typically the connection involves a male/female mating fitting. Due to a number of factors, the snugness of that fitting (and the resulting effectiveness of transmission of the vacuum pull through that male/female joint) can deteriorate over time (or may even be deficient from its first use). Among other things, mating parts can be damaged or worn down after repeated use, especially in view of the environments in which they are used (commonly outdoors, with extreme sun exposure that itself can damage the integrity of the typically plastic male/female fittings), and in view of the lack of careful handling that is common by persons operating the equipment. Even if the fittings are made from metal or a combination of materials, such damage and/or wear and tear can occur (and can negatively affect the quality of the male/female fit). These issues can occur on both or either end of the hose (and the related corresponding fitting), and can occur regardless of the orientation and/or position of the male versus the female fitting.
Other factors and usages/actions can similarly damage the quality of the hose/head joint. For example, some suction plumbing connections (such as pool skimmers and/or similar hookups) are located in areas that are relatively distant from parts of the pool that need cleaning. In such situations, a user sometimes must ‘stretch’ the hose to (or even beyond) its normal limits in order to vacuum one or more of those distant portions of the pool. Sometimes this stretching can cause the connection between the vacuum head and hose to fail (such as becoming disconnected). If the failure occurs while the hose is in the pool water and before actual vacuuming begins, the hose (having a natural tendency to float and coil) will tend to drift away from the vacuum head, and the user will be forced to retrieve the hose end, reconnect it to the vacuum head, and start the “stretching” again. If the hose separates from the head during vacuuming, the internal suction action in the hose will cause the hose almost immediately to float to the pool's surface, where the end of the hose commonly breaches the surface and sucks air into the vacuum plumbing. This air intake sometimes causes the pool pump to lose prime, so that not only will the user need to start the entire process again (see above), but he/she will also have the additional burden of priming the pump.
Furthermore, many pool owners and professionals find it convenient to keep the vacuum head and hose connected when they are not in use. Doing so can make transporting the hose/head assemblies easier, especially if the hose is coiled around the vacuum head and bound with a bungee cord or strap. However, accidental separation at the male/female joint can and does occur while such assemblies are being carried. In addition to being generally irritating, such separations also result in the inconvenience or even danger of the user having to catch and/or pick up falling/fallen pieces when the user's hands are already full from carrying the vacuum hose and vacuum head. Such situations may even lead to minor injury of the user's feet (since people are often barefooted when around swimming pools) or of other persons who may happen to be in the vicinity.